Roll-top receptacle and method of making same.



- F. P. moon.

ROLL TOP RECEPTACLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

4 APPLqcmou FILED m. 1. 19ns. 1,251,067. Patented Dec. 25,1917.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT oFF oE.

FRANCIS P. MOCOLL, 0F EABTPOBT, MAINE, ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN KEY CAN COM rm, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. COBPOBATIOII OF NEW JERSEY.

BULL-TOP BEC'EY'IACLE AN D METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Application filed Yclmmry 1, 1909. Serial No. 475,350.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnaucrs I. MoCoLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eastport, county of \Vashington, State of Maine, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Roll-Top Receptacles and Methods of Makina the Same, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ertains to make and use the same, reference eing had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this speci cation.

A very convenient and satisfactory can for containing and preserving food commodities is that wherein the cover is soldered to a flange projectinglaterally .from and surrounding one end of the can body; the cover being provided with a tongue which may be received in a suitable key whereby, upon turning the key, first the tongue and then the cover itself is rolled up on the key so that the cover may be entirely removed. Most food products must be processed, that is cooked at least partially after they have been placed in the cans and the .cans sealed. Heretofore it has been customary to put the cans through the processing operation with the roll'top end completed in the form de scribed above. It will be seen that when heat. is applied to a sealed, filled can, a fluid pressure is created which tends tomove the soldercd end of the can bodily in the outward direction. This strain imposed upon the soldered end must be borne by the line of solder nearest the interior of the can and, if the pressure be great enough, the solder will yield and the strain will be transferred to a point a little farther out along the flange. The strain is therefore progressively carried outwardly along the flange as the separation of the cover continues, no aid being given to any portion of the} joint by those portions which surround it and the strength ofthe joint being simply that of an extremely narrow annular ring. Therefore increasing the width of the joint by making the flange upon which the cover is soldered wider does not add proportionately, if at all, to the resisting power of the joint when the cover is subjected to pressure from within. Solders can be made strong enough to withstand processing at low temperatures, but the limits of strengthof a soldered joint are soon reached and, where high temperatures are needed, as in the case of meats, a,

very large ercentage of roll-top ends of the character cscribed will yield and produce leaks. v

The object of my invention is to possible to use roll-top cans as receptacles make it.

for food commodities which, during processing must be subjected to relatively high temperatures. In accordance with my invention I make the joint between the roll-top and can body Y in such a manner that resistance to separation while under internal pressure is exerted by the entire joint so that itis not necessary for one portion of the joint to yield before the adjacent portions come into play. I then fill the can or other receptacle, preferably through an'open end, seal the opening, sub-1 ject the package to the processing operation and then manipulate the united portions of the bod or the receptacle and the cover so as to ormthem into an annular flange which projects laterally around one end of the body, the final appearance of the package being the same as heretofore.

The various features of novelty whereby .my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages,'reference may be hadto the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein: Figure 1 is a section of my improved receptacle ready to be filled; Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section showing the receptacle filled and sealed; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the completed package after the roll-top end has been given its final shape; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the completed package as shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view "showing one end of the body of the can or other receptacle before the roll-top end or cox er is inserted; and Figs. .6 and 7 are sections showing two different forms of roll-top ends or covers which may be employed.

In the drawing 1 have illustrated my invention as applied to an ordinary cylindrical, tin can but it Wil of course, be understood that the receptacle may be of any other suitable material and-have any desired shape.

Referring to the drawin A represents the body of the can and B ilu cover which is to form the roll-top. The member B is made cup-shaped so as to have an annular flange (2 of the desired width project'ng laterally from one side thereof. D 's a 5 tongue which extends from the free/edge oi the flange C and forms the means wherehv the rollin of the cover'upon a key may be b egnn.- T e cover is inserted in one end of the bodywith the flange projecting outwardly, the edge of the flange 1 ing in the plane of the end of the body. he cover is then soldered securely in place in any well known manner as, for example, by carrying the can through a solder bath. The cover is now secured in place by means of a wide band of solder E arranged between the exterior of the flange and the interior of the can body. The can is now filled through its open end F, the filling being easily accomplished by reason of the large opening provided. After the can is filled the open end is closed by means of a cover G, this cover being preferably, though not necessarily, secured bymeans of a' double seam. The

filled can now constitutes a ackage of the form indicated in Fig. 2. he packa e'ls then subjected to-the usual processing operation and allowedto cool.

It will be seen-that, upon the creation-0f pressure within the pee age during processing. -the outward thrust upon the memher B isborne by the entire joint and it is nee essary to shear this joint throughout the entire width of the flange on the cover member 85 before a leak will appear. The diflerenoe "between this joint. and the old form of joint can. he clearly seen by comparing Figs. 21 and 3. Assuming that Fig. 3 re resents the package which is undergoing processing 40 then. the outward pressure upon the member B would simply tend totear the flange (T from the flange H on the canbody. The only portion of the joint which could resist the separation of the flanges would be the annular ring 6 of minute width at the beginning of the joint viewed from the interior of the can. Until this ring gave away no assistance would be rendered to it by the surrounding portions of the joint. As soon as the joint yielded along the line (2 then the strain would be transferred to another line immediately outside of the former and this progressive introduction of the different portions of the joint as the.

'55 active agents would continue until the cover had been entirely torn from the supporting flange on the can body at some point. When the package shown in Fig. 2 is subjected to internal pressure the entire joint consisting of a band'extending entirely around the can and having a width from X to Y at-once comes into play, each part of the joint supporting the other. By making the distance from X to Y long enough it will become impossible to shear the joint and the only lprocessing operation the flange way in which an opening can be effected will be to cause the metal ofthe cover to bend and roll around the entire circumference so as to gradually lessen the width of the flange. This could only happen under enormous pressures which would probably disrupt the can or one'of the covers at some other point than at the joint under consideration. I prefer to shape the cover so that any pressure which tends to bulge it .latter arrangement the portion of the cover immediately adjacent to the flange is .in the form of a ring or band In forming an obtuse angle with the flange when 'viewed from the outside of the can. In either arrangement, however, the main'portion of the cover acts as=a strut'under pressure and forces the flange more tightly against the surrounding wall of the can body instead of tending to tear the flange awa After the package has passe throu h the and e portion of the wall of the can body H to which it is secured are bent outwardly by means of any suitable flanging devices so asto assume the positions shown in'Fig. 3. The joint' between the roll-top and can body is now at right angles to what it was before and the top or cover may be removed in the usual way by means of a keyengaging with the tongue D; It will be s'een that after the processing operation has been com pleted and the package has cooled somewhat there is no longer-any objection to having the joint occupytlie position indicated in Fig. 3 since it is only while the package is under considerable, internal pressure that there is danger of disrupting the joint.

In order to make the joint stronger both while undergoing internal compression and afterward, the end of the can body in which the roll-top is secured may be bent backwardly itself as at L thereby forming a reinforcing band throughout the entire width and extent of the oint and making it exceedingly diflicult for the extreme end of the can body to become distorted lab erally when the cover is'subjected to internal pressure. 125

While I have described in detail onl a single form of my invention, namely t at which I believe to be the best, I do not desire to be limited except as indicated by the terms employed in the definitions of 130 my invention constituting the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of forming a package having a roll top which consists in producing a sealed filled receptacle having one end sealed by a partial1y-shaped roll top so formed as to offer a maximum resistance under internal pressure, heating the receptacle and its contents, and finally completing the shaping of the roll top.

2. The method of forming a package having a roll top which consists in producin a sealed filled receptacle having one end sea. ed by a partially-shaped roll top so formed as to ofl'er a maximum resistance under internal pressure, heating the receptacle and its contents, and finally completing the shaping of the roll top in a form offering a low resistance to removal by rolling the top up on a key.

3. The method of forming a. package hav ing a roll top which consists in prodvcin a sealed filled receptacle having one end sea ed by a cup-shaped head soldered in place with the mouth of the head directed outwardly, heating the receptacle and its contefits, and then bending the united portions of the body and head laterally to form a flange.

4. The method of forming a packa e having a roll top which consists in so dering within one end of an open ended receptacle, a closely fitting 'cup-sha ed head havingthe mouth directed outwar 1y, filling the rece tacle, closing the other end of the receptac e, and then bending the united portions of the cup and receptacle laterally to form a flange surrounding the receptacle.

5. The method of forming a package having a roll to which consists in filling a receptacle having one end closed b means of a head provided with an outwar ly extending flange soldered to the wall of said rece tacle, closing said receptacle, and then'bend ing said Han and the adjacent portion of said receptac elaterally.

6. The method of forming a package having a roll top which consists in filling a receptacle having one and closed by a partially-shaped roll top, closing the open end of the receptacle, heating the receptacle and its contents, and finally ing of the roll top.

7. The method of forming a package having a roll to which consists in filling a receptacle having one end closed by a partially-shaped roll top so shaped as to ofier amaximum resistance to rupture between the bod of the receptacle and said top under interna pressure, closin the receptacle, heating the receptacle an its contents, and finally completing the shaping of the roll top.

8., The method of forming a processed ackage having a roll top which consists in filling a receptacle having one end closed head provided with an outwardly-extendin flange soldered to the wall of said receptac e, closing said receptacle, heating the receptacle so as to process its contents, and then bending portions of the head and can body laterally.

9. The method of making a roll to can which consists in soldering a cup-s aped head in one end of the body with the mouth of the head directed outwardly, closing the other end of the can, processing the can and completing the shapby means of a then bending the united ortion' of the body and head laterally to orm a flange about the body.

10. The method of forming a roll end on a can-requiring proceming which consists in providing one end of the can with a cup shaped end soldered into the can, rooessing the can, and then bending the sol erml. portion of the can body and of the cup-shaped end laterally and outwardly.

' In testimony whereof, I sign this specificationin the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS P. McCOLL.

Witnesses F. T. Ennnmoa, Florence E. SMALL. 

